The Arab League urged the UN Security Council Tuesday to adopt a clear resolution to support the league's efforts in ending the 11-month-old conflict in Syria, but said it opposes foreign military intervention to achieve the objective, dpa reported.
The league's Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani appeared before the 15-nation in New York to present its plan of action as well as to brief the panel on the deteriorating situation in Syria.
The meeting culminated months of efforts to bring the Syrian conflict before the council, a move that has been resisted by Russia and China. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Germany's Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Link attended the meeting.
A small group of people in the meantime staged a demonstration outside the UN headquarters, with supporters of Damascus mingling with opponents to the regime, who shouted "Putin, murderer."
Russia and China have so far opposed a resolution worked out by the US, France, Britain, Germany and Portugal demanding an end to the violence and human rights violations in Syria.
Al-Thani described the increasingly desperate situation of the people of Syria, noting how the Syrian government had failed to accept the league's plan of action to end the bloodshed. That refusal resulted in the league's calls for imposing sanctions against Damascus.
Al-Thani said Damascus has so far rejected all demands by the league, saying that the Syrian "killing machinery has continued unabated."
"Unfortunately, the Syrian government did not fully and immediately meet its commitments (to the Arab League)," Al-Thani said.
He accused Damascus of resorting to stalling tactics while trying to put down the popular unrest.
But Al-Thani and al-Arabi said the league did not seek a regime change in Damascus, reiterating that Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and that it is up to the Syrian people themselves to decide on a regime change.
Al-Arabi repeatedly said the Arab League stands against foreign military intervention in Syria and called for a solution that is in "the Arab context and avoids foreign intervention in Syria."
The report provided to the council said Damascus resorted to "excessive use of force" to confront an "armed entity," which it did not name.
"In some zones, this armed entity reacted by attacking Syrian security forces and citizens, causing the government to respond with further violence," the report said. "In the end, innocent citizens pay the price for those actions with life and limb."
The Arab League observer mission was withdrawn after encountering difficulties in carrying out its tasks and also because of the lack of logistics. The league had demanded, but unsuccessfully, that Damascus protect civilian protesters, withdraw its military forces from cities and provide free access to the league's monitors.